How To Teach Teenagers to be Successful

Most teenagers are naturally competitive. They like adventures and challenges, wanting always to be on top of everything. Teenagers, however, are often easily discouraged when faced with failures. And if they are not pushed, their tendency is to slip back to their comfort zones and perhaps not to try again for fear of having the same failures. Left uncorrected, teenagers might bring this attitude into their adulthood, which will consequently grip them from every trying and being successful. So as early as now, teenagers must be properly trained to achieve what they want and to be successful at it. As a parent, here are the things that you can do to help your teenager succeed at what he does.

Always encourage your teenager to succeed. Teenagers want to be always encouraged and motivated. So whenever your teenager starts a project or is involved in any endeavor, speak words of encouragement. Express that you believe in his abilities and that you know he can pull it off. Make it a point to strengthen his resolve to succeed by negating the doubts that plague his mind.

Explain that failures are part of the journey. Your teen will surely be deeply affected by failures, but make sure to rebuild his confidence by assuring him that failures happen. Tell your teen that even the most successful people in the world have at some point failed. You can even share your own story of failures. When he truly understands that failures are inevitable, he won’t give up trying.

Discourage comparisons. Your teenager is most prone to comparing when faced with failures. He will compare himself with his siblings, cousins, relatives, and friends and will question his abilities. This is an indication of insecurity, which if not addressed immediately, will affect your teenager’s attitude and perspective of himself and the people around him. So always assure your teenager that he is a unique person with a different set of abilities. Tell him that he is good as he is and is capable of doing a lot of things if he relentlessly pursues and tries.

Teach your teenager to pick lessons along the way. Whether he has just started a new endeavor or is midway through it, train your teenager to learn from the situations, his circumstances, and the people around him. If he falls, help him to get back on his track while allowing him to learn from his mistakes and his failures. If he succeeds, teach him to be humble and to be helpful of people who are going through what he has gone through.

Avoid insulating him from pain and failures. If he can successfully deal with pain and failures, your teenager will come out strong and mature. So let him fail and feel pain, especially if these are the consequences of his own decisions. But of course, make sure to be there for him to comfort and assure him that everything will turn out good.

As early as now, cast the vision that your teenager will be successful at whatever he decides to do with his life. If he has a “champion mindset,” he will never settle for anything less.